Try Not To Laugh
by LaLaCat1
Summary: After Batman is injured the team is temporarily assigned to guard one of Gotham's most twisted criminals, and he's got his eye on a little bird.


I'm sorry if there are any spelling errors, I don't have a bata. Also **warnings**: mentions of sexual abuse of children and general wrong-ness regarding the things coming out of the Jokers mouth. Place don't read if these things are upsetting.

* * *

It was the laughing that was getting to her. Artemis wasn't a stranger to freaky people walking on the wrong side of the law, but after tonight she definitely had a new respect of Robin. Also, a much more healthy understanding of why Batman didn't want anyone from the team wandering around in Gotham without his express permission. Just the thought of running into the man laughing himself sick in the corner on her own was enough to her skin crawl.

The Joker was famous enough to make even the front page of her home's newspaper whenever he decided to rear his ugly head. Even still, no amount of news clippings were enough to really prepare Artemis for the reality of his presence. It was the eyes, she concluded while watching him shift back and forth in his restraints. They looked mad, like a rabid dog's that should be put down.

Robin was handling the situation fairly well. He hadn't said anything to the Joker, even though Artemis had more than expected him to. The freak had Batman KO'd by the time Superman found them, and that was a feat in and of itself. They were on guard duty until the big guy came back and got the Joker out of their hair. Superman made sure to take every precaution to secure him before leaving, but no one had felt comfortable taking their eyes off of Joker for the last ten minutes.

"Where's he taking Batman, outer space?" Wally grumbled to her right. He was nervous, practically vibrating with pent up energy, and for once Artemis couldn't find it in herself to blame him.

"Patience. Someone will be here shortly," Kaldur soothed. The calm was slightly ruined by the tightness of the grip he had on his weapons; duel swords at the moment.

"Oo, the kiddies are getting restless! Did you all miss your naptime today?" the Joker asked, is eyes widening in a mockery of concern.

Artemis felt her fingers tighten on her notched arrow. She didn't like this man.

"I just mean, why did they leave him with us? Why didn't one of the other League members come and watch him with us even?" Wally continued, hopping from foot to foot now.

The sight of Batman, bloodied and still and rasping with each shallow breath he took flashed through Artemis' mind and some small part of her wanted to agree with Wally. If push came to shove and this guy broke free she wouldn't be aiming for non-lethal spots. She'd take him down before he got the chance to do the same to any of them.

"Because we don't need them. He's not going anywhere until Superman gets back so chill out KF," Robin said shortly. It was the first he'd spoken sense Superman left.

Slowly the Joker's head rotated on his hunched shoulders until he was facing the smallest of their group. The already manic grin stretching his lips pulled further, twisting his expression into something warped. That mad look in his eyes was brighter now, more pronounced, more mean.

"Is the little bird missing his bat?" he asked.

Robin narrowed his eyes but did not answer.

To the right Artemis saw Superboy clench his fists and take a half step forward, but a soft touch by M'gann stilled any action he might have taken. Their orders were clear; do not get within reaching distance of the Joker under any circumstances.

"Not that I'd blame you. Really, such a lost little bird without his big, strong bat." Joker threw his head back and laughed, his whole body moving with the action. The sound abruptly cut off and he leaned his face closer to Robin, stretching his neck as far as it would go.

"You know what they say about a grown man that runs around with little boys all night long?" he asked, and his voice didn't sound crazy anymore. It sounded sharp and precise and it made Artemis' stomach turn because she knew exactly what he was referring too.

Robin stiffened ever so slightly, but still stayed silent.

Superboy did not. He turned to M'gann and whispered in what he obviously thought was too low a voice to carry, "What's he talking about?"

"Oh! Glad you asked, boy-o!" the Joker cackled. His eyes did not leave Robin's tightly closed off face.

"You see, when a man finds himself attracted to pre-pubescent little boys in tights he has a tendency to want to do something about it. You understand, right? No, probably not. You don't look like the sharpest tool in the shed. Do the big boys know you're out of your playpen?" he asked, pursing his brightly painted lips together and scrunching his face up in mock-sympathy.

Superboy bristled. Before anything more could be said Kaldur took a half step forward, still out of reach but clearly signaling for everyone to listen up. He looked grave and angry, but still more in control then Superboy.

"You will remain silent," he growled at Joker.

The man laughed again. "I'm just making conversation. Hay, Boy Wonder, I got to know. Are you _wonderful_ in bed too? Is that why the Bat keeps you?"

Artemis felt something hot and violent waking in her stomach at the look of total enjoyment on the freaks face. Robin had gone still and more tense than before. For the first time in as long as Artemis had known him the kid didn't look like he was in control.

"Shut up," he kissed out through gritted teeth.

Wally looked back and forth between the Joker and Robin. He wasn't fidgeting any longer. His lips were pressed into a hard line and his eyes were narrowed. Artemis had the feeling his expression exactly matched her own.

"I bet he makes you beg for it. He strikes me as the sort who's into all that S and M stuff, wears an awful lot of black and leather and straps after all," Joker continued as if he hadn't been interrupted.

He rocked back and forth, staring at Robin and grinning so wide it looked painful. His eyes moved up and down Robin's body in a way that made Artemis's skin crawl. M'gann dug her fingers harder into Superboy's arm, but not in any effort to hold him back. She was staring at the Joker with an expression of absolute horror on her face. The Joker noticed the look and winked at her.

"And you're awfully flexible, little birdie. I bet he likes that too. What's his favorite, you on top? Him on top? Oh! I got it; I bet he likes you on your back."

"Shut up!" Robin shouted, his voice echoed by both Wally's and Artemis'.

She hefted her bow and pulled the arrow back tightly against the string. This close it would do lots of damage, whether it was a smoke bomb in the rounded tip or not. All Artemis wanted was that grin wiped off the Joker's face. Kaldur gave something remarkably similar to a snarl and stepped between Robin and Joker.

"He's—he's a monster," M'gann whispered. "The things in his head—"

High, manic laughter echoed off the walls, making it seem like there were creatures hiding in the shadows of the room mocking them. The Joker stilled his laughter and spoke in low tones, more calmly and coldly then he had before.

"I bet he likes you with your knees behind your ears. I bet he likes to here you scream."

For a moment the image was in Artemis' head. She didn't want it there, never wanted anything like it there, but it appeared all the same. It made her sick, made her stomach twist and her skin prickle in disgust. How could he do that? How could he take something like Batman and Robin's relationship and turn it into something so twisted? So wrong?

Robin snapped. He shoved past Kaldur and hurled himself at the Joker, growling and fists flying. Wally darted forward faster than Artemis could see and managed to snatch the back of Robin's cape and used it to pull him away before he actually managed to touch the Joker. Robin responded with an elbow in Wally's gut and another lunge forward. This time he found himself lifted clear off his feet and held, struggling and cursing, in the air. Artemis took a step to the left to avoid flailing limbs.

Robin seemed beyond words, beyond listening to M'gann's pleas for his to calm down, or Wally's insistence that it wouldn't be worth breaking their instructions just to kick the Joker in the face. Artemis disagreed. The man hadn't moved an inch when Rabin lunged at him, hadn't done anything at all but smile in cold satisfaction. It was almost like he wanted to be hit, like he'd—

"He want's Robin to touch him for some reason," Artemis said sharply. She didn't know why, but she did know that anything that freak wanted was bad news.

"He smells wrong. Like rotting fruit. No one should touch him but Superman," Superboy growled. His eyes were narrowed into predatory slits and Artemis was positive he was trying very hard to force heat vision into manifesting right this moment.

Kaldur glanced up at Robin, who now had to have his arms restrained by M'gann's telekinesis as well to stop him from throwing the little bat shaped knife in his hand, and then down at the still smiling prisoner.

"Aw, you got me coppers," laughed the Joker, voice almost swallowed in hysterics at the end.

Kaldur narrowed his eyes. His face was still calm, still lacking the expressions of sheer hate Artemis, Wally and Superboy were throwing Joker's way, but there was something dangerous lurking in that calm. He moved past his teammates, still out of reach of the Joker, but only just. Without a work he lifted one of his water based swords and pressed it against the steel beam rapped around the Joker's body.

Bright, bright sparks of electricity jumped down his arms, along his sword and over the beam. At once the Joker began to jerk and twitch and laugh even louder. Seconds ticked away before the laughing died down to chuckles and Kaldur removed the sword. The Joker slummed forward, head hung low and continued to give small, whispery giggles.

"Now he is silent," was all Kaldur said before stepping back.

A clatter sounded as the warehouse door was thrown open and quite suddenly the Flash was standing next to Wally, staring up in confusion at Robin. He tilted his head to the side and the glanced down at Wally.

"Is there a reason he's in time out?"

M'gann gave a little squeak of embarrassment at lowered Robin to the floor. Artemis waited just long enough to assure herself that the kid wasn't going to do anything stupid before glancing back towards the door. More League members were making their way in with Superman at the head of the small pack. He glanced at her, started to give a reassuring smile, and the stopped. His eyes moved to the still slightly smoking hair on the Joker's head, and then to Robin. No one could miss the tension the kid was holding himself with.

"What happened?" Superman sounded calm and in control, and Artemis almost believed it. He was supposed to be really close with Batman, right? Close the way that Wally and Robin were close. There was no way he'd be so—so unaffected after finding his friend in the condition Batman had been in.

No one answered either of the questions. By unspoken agreement they chose not to inform the adults of Robin's slip in control. Nothing had happened because of it, there was no reason to make a mountain out of a mole hill. Artemis repeated that to herself several times in very quick succession.

"I want to see Batman. Where is he?" Robin demanded. The statement was for the room at large. He'd yet to look away from the Joker.

Flash exchanged looks with Superman and the later gave a small nod. He moved forward and placed a hand on Robin's shoulder, steering him way from the unpleasant sight and towards the door. Robin resisted for a moment, but only a moment before allowing himself to be steered from the room.

"The League will take him from here. Joker's not getting past all of us. Why don't you all head out. He's at the usual place," Flash added. He glanced over his shoulders at Artemis and the others, cocking his head towards the door in signal to follow him.

Artemis looked one last time at the Joker, promised herself that if she ever had the opportunity she's brake every bone in the man's body and then some, before following the rest of her team out of the building. The motorcycles were where they'd left them, and Robin was already pulling his helmet on and kicking his bike into life.

"Hay, dude, do you want me to—"Wally began hesitantly.

"No," was all Robin said before peeling away and speeding off into the night.

Wally looked for a moment like he was going to follow, but Flash set a hand down on his shoulder, effectively halting him. It was a very long ride back to base that night.

* * *

It took Robin longer then he would have liked to get back to the manor. Alfred wasn't waiting for him down in the cave and somehow that made this whole night just a little bit worse. He didn't want to take the time to strip the suit off before going upstairs, but Bruce would be furious at him if Dick didn't.

He took the stairs four at a time up to the makeshift infirmary. The house was silent aside from the sound of his own feet hitting against the marble flooring. This time the door opened before Dick could reach it, Alfred stepping back to allow the headlong rush into he room.

Bruce was awake. Alfred had him propped up on pillows so that he was almost siting up but not quite. There was an I.V. trailing from his left wrist and dark purple-black bruises all over the exposed flesh his arms. His head moved very slowly in the direction of the door and once Dick's presence filtered through whatever pain killers Alfred had him on Bruce smiled. It was only the upward twitch of the side of his lips, more a smirk then anything else, but it was enough to drive the dread and fear out of Dick immediately.

"It's not as bad as it's been before, Master Dick. Master Bruce will be back in top form in a few days, a week tops." Dick couldn't remember a time when Alfred had sounded more comforting to him.

He moved carefully to the side of the bed, somehow afraid of making too much noise. He didn't notice when Alfred slipped from the room and closed the door silently behind him.

"What's the matter?" Bruce asked as soon as the door was closed. Even pumped full of the best pain killers money could buy he was able to tell when something was wrong. Sometimes that perceptiveness annoyed Dick, today he was just happy to hear Bruce speak.

"Nothing." It was a lie.

"Is the Joker is League custody?"

Dick nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He ran his fingers along the edges of the sheet covering Bruce and found himself unable to meet the man's eyes. It wasn't that he thought anything the Joker had said was true, because it wasn't. It was as far from true as it was possible to be. Bruce would never do anything like that to him, would never even want to, but that didn't change the fact that someone thought he could. Dick honestly didn't know what upset him more, the fact that the Joker had said all of that in front of his team mates, or the fact that The Joker had so totally warped the man Dick thought of as a father.

Fathers didn't do those things to their kids. The just didn't.

And what if the others thought it was a possibility? What if they thought Bruce could do something like that? He already scared them, but Dick didn't think they could assume something so—so wrong was happening between himself and his mentor…Right?

"Is everyone alright?" Bruce pressed, voice penetrating even through the fog of drugs.

Dick nodded again.

A large hand settled on his shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. He looked up. It was one of those rare times when Bruce wasn't hiding behind his persona of stupidity he used to face the public world, or his persona of severity he used to face the criminal world. He was just Bruce and Dick was just Dick and right now that was alright. That was enough. He could be a thirteen year old boy and just be tired.

"I'm glad you're ok," he said softly.

The hand on his shoulder gave another soft squeeze.


End file.
